Work Text:
The scene in the living room was a mishmash of mixed signals that even Daniel Jackson was having trouble deciphering. There was definite mood lighting - the main lights were off and the strategic grouping of candles gave the room a soft glow, one could interpret as romantic, even with the giant vanilla and sandalwood scented candle in the middle of the coffee table, which Jack also had his feet setting on, wearing old socks with a definite hole in them, too close to said candle. The TV was set to a hockey game already in progress, which Jack was watching with Daniel arrived. Though the sound was muted and an opera Daniel couldn't identify by name, but knew Jack liked, was softly playing on the stereo. Daniel took a moment to examine Jack himself to see if he had any more useful clues.
Jack looked comfortable. He was sitting on the couch wearing sweats with his feet propped up, drinking a beer, and his attention was firmly on the game. Though the sweatshirt Jack was wearing was the black one with the sleeves cut off and just a little too short, giving peeks of skin around Jack's waist when he moved, that he knew that Daniel liked. There was also a second unopened bottle of beer on the coffee table with a bottle opener, presumably waiting for Daniel, which with the noted lack of the rest of a six-pack, was probably a sign leaning more towards "date night" not "guys' night." The more Daniel looked at Jack, he also realized Jack was less watching the game and more not watching Daniel.
He decided to just ask, but the moment he opened his mouth, Jack cut him off.
"Will you just sit down already! I can explain the game to you." Jack's grumpy tone gave away nothing.
"You know, I actually..."
Jack cut him off again, this time making and maintaining eye contact. "Sit. On. The. Couch. So. I. Can. Explain. Hockey. To. You." He gently patted the couch while he spoke.
Oh. OH. Everything clicked for Daniel, but he had to do one more test to be sure. He sat on the couch next to Jack, but with a polite gap between them. Jack responded by grabbing Daniel around the middle and pulling him close until there was no longer a gap between them. He then started whispering the finer points of what was happening on the screen in Daniel's ear.
Confirmed. It was, in fact, a date.